Apply: An archaeologist finds a golden figurine. How could she determine if the figurine is solid gold without cutting it?

By weighing it

Explanation:

The density of gold is known to be 19.3 g/cc and this was derived by dividing a particular mass of gold by its volume. As the density is already know, the archaeologist can then estimate the size of the figurine. Using the estimated size and the density, the archaeologist should be able to come up with a theoretical weight.

The archaeologist should then weigh the figurine. If the figurine's mass is quite different from the theoretical mass then it probable isn't solid gold.